A pocket-sized microscope phone accessory developed by Finnish scientists will be accurate to one hundredth of a millimeter

VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, a multi-technological applied research organization in Northern Europe, has developed an optical accessory that turns an ordinary camera phone into a high-resolution microscope. An ordinary mobile phone can turn into an instant microscope by attaching a thin, magnetic microscope module in front of the camera’s normal lens, which is accurate to one hundredth of a millimeter. The plastic macro lens of the mobile phone microscope magnifies objects effectively using mobile phone software. A number of LEDs have been sunk into the outer edge of the lens, allowing objects to be illuminated from different angles. Images illuminated from several different angles could be used to produce 3D topographic maps. The first industrial applications and consumer models will be released in early 2012.